Sour Cream
by Prower Power
Summary: What's put Cream in such a bad mood lately? Can anyone manage to help her solve her problems before she completely loses it? Enjoy! If you're in for a laugh or some Tails/Creaminess, hopefully you'll like this one.


**Sour Cream**

"My yawns taste like fish sticks I think." I ponder out loud as I look across the table nervously at Cream. "How about yours?"

"Tails? Are you sure you don't have the swine flu? Or maybe the bird flu? You sound delirious!" Cream struggles to reply without laughing uncontrollably.

"I'm serious! The next time you're in the middle of a yawn, try to taste it! During the third part of the ya-yaa-yaaaawn, you can taste your yawns. I'm telling you the truth!"

"Winners don't do drugs Tails." Cream says matter-of-factly.

I shake my head at her jokingly.

"How was your day at work though? Did anything exciting happen?" I change the subject abruptly.

"Did you watch that show?"

"Glad that girl won."

"Do you like ham?"

I hear random pieces of conversations from the crowded tables all around us.

"I'm just glad it's over. I'm exhausted." Cream sighs as she buries her head in her crossed arms on the table.

Cream sent me a text this morning, asking if I could meet her for lunch at Four Corners, one of Station Square's busiest restaurants.

I was a little worried about just the two of us meeting here, but I hid my paranoia away in the back of my mind and made myself show up.

I nearly drove myself crazy on the subway ride over here.

_Don't act too sappy Tails. She probably just wants to talk. I kept telling myself. _

_Do not imagine kissing her. I repeat. DO NOT IMAGINE KISSING HER!_

"Lots of special orders or just having to work on a Saturday?" I ask, looking over just to check and make sure that she's still alive.

"I wish we were getting _**any **_orders. I only had two customers come in all day." Her words are muffled by the table as she refuses to lift her head.

"Why isn't anybody buying?" I inquire.

I admit that I know nothing about flowers in general, but I figured they were one of those things that were bought by everyone consistently throughout the year.

I guess I was wrong.

"I dunno."

She finally, slowly, manages to extracts her head from the gaping chasm between her crossed arms.

"I guess everybody in town just has better things to spend their money on these days."

"If only two guys came in, why are you so tired?" I tease her as I put by two-sided, laminated menu on the crinkly white table cloth in front of me.

"The air conditioner at my apartment broke last night. I barely got any sleep. It was miserable."

Cream's brown eyes look deflated. She isn't even looking at me as she talks.

Her eyes stay focused on the slowly swirling remnants of ice cubes in her glass as she stirs them with her straw.

"Did you tell the landlord?"

"Yeah, but they can't get anyone in there until next week to fix it unless I pay a $250 emergency charge, and I don't have that kind of money."

She takes an angry sip from her glass before slamming it back down to the table.

A few stray globs of water spatter on the tablecloth by the ketchup and mustard bottles in the center.

"You know, I'm no expert with electrical engineering, but I can take a look at it if you want." I hesitantly offer.

"Thanks Tails." She says glumly.

"What'll it be guys?" A light voice drifts by my ears.

"Amy?" I reply, somewhat surprised, as I look up. "If you own this place, why are you taking orders?"

"Two of my waitresses called in sick." She says nonchalantly. "All part of the job."

Amy looks at the still sullen Cream, who has buried her head again.

"Are you alright?" Amy asks as she moves her pad and pen to her left hand.

"I don't wanna talk about it." Cream mumbles into the sleeve of her pastel orange colored shirt.

"What'll it be then?" Amy continues, turning back to me.

"Turkey on white with baby spinach and mozzarella. And a Coke to drink. Always Coca-Cola!"

"Nobody wants to hear you recite commercial jingles Tails."

Amy rolls her eyes.

"Fruit salad." Cream lifts her head to look at nothing in particular.

"Sorry, but the only fruit we have in right now is peaches."

"Nevermind."

Cream groans her dissatisfaction.

Amy brings my sandwich and drink back a few minutes later.

Cream doesn't utter a word as I awkwardly gulp down by sandwich in eleven bites.

I offer her some twice, but she refuses.

"You ready to go?" I tentatively offer.

"Yeah."

She stands up and wordlessly plods along beside me.

After paying my bill, I head out the door first, loosely holding it for Cream with one hand.

One of those annoying bells on the door that announces every time someone enters or exits jangles rudely.

Cream takes the door and shoves it open roughly.

A loud smash is heard as the door shatters against the brick wall outside the building's walkway.

Conversation throughout the restaurant ceases instantly.

"Hey hey hey! What's goin' on out here?!" Amy yells loudly as she steps out from the kitchen.

Cream has already jumped over the broken glass and started stomping down the street.

"Sorry Amy, just put it on my card!" I yell as I head out after Cream.

"Cream! Hey Cream! Wait up a minute!"

She's already crossed the intersection outside the restaurant before the light turned red.

Thankfully, I don't have to wait for traffic signals as I twist my tails together and fly across the crosswalk above the traffic and after her.

Cream's khaki shorts whisk lightly in the hot breeze as she continues to take fierce, determined steps with her head down.

"Cream, slow down! What's the matter? There's got to be something more than just your air conditioner bothering you?" I ask her as I flutter to the ground beside her.

"It's nothing Tails, don't worry about it." She scoffs without looking at me.

I remain quiet the rest of the way as we head to her neighborhood on Peach Orchard Road.

*

"It was completely unbearable." She tells me as she plops down on her couch before pointing toward the door that conceals her air conditioning unit. "I didn't mean for you to have to come all the way out here."

"Don't worry about it. I always have my portable kit with me, so I should be able to at least figure out what's wrong with this thing." I reply simply.

I glance at the thermometer on her clock in the hallway. It's only 2 pm and it's already heated up to 81 degrees in the apartment.

I loosen two screws on the outside of the unit and lie on back with my portable flashlight so I can get a good look inside.

The coils of the air conditioner are covered with a lot of dust, but I know that can't be causing the problem.

"Cream, could you bring me a wet rag please?"

She quickly complies and I clean the coils, but no air comes out of the vents.

After some more searching, all the connections of the wires and plugs seem to be firing.

Even the Freon tank is filled to the brim.

I come to the realization that I'm going to have to tell Cream that I can't fix this problem.

I slowly slide away from the air conditioner and gingerly get to my feet. I wipe my forehead with one sleeve of my bright yellow shirt to at least give the appearance that I did something worthwhile.

"C-C-Cream?" I begin hesitantly.

"Hmm?" She sits up suddenly from leaning on the arm rest of her dark chocolate colored couch.

"I…couldn't fix it. I looked at everything. I don't know what's wrong." I sound defeated as I speak. "I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it Tails. At least you tried."

She sighs again before sinking back into the couch.

I'm not entirely sure if it's guilt or guts that gave me the idea, but what I think could be a promising solution pops into my head.

"Why don't we go get some ice cream? My treat! And you can… stay at my place if you want." I start talking fast and blurt out the rest of my idea toward the end of the sentence.

"I can't ask you to do that. Plus I really need to work so I can pay Amy back for that door. She's gonna be so mad at me. Not to menti—."

"You didn't ask. I'm offering. And don't worry about the door. Just consider it an early……Arbor Day present. Or…well…since the door was made of glass, maybe it would be an Anti-Arbor Day present? I mean, I'm sure trees get used somehow in the making of glass right? Maybe they burn trees to create the heat to mold the glass into shapes?"

I'm just babbling aimlessly at this point.

"Thank you Tails." Cream gives me a half hearted smile as she pries herself from the couch.

I head for the door as I hear her footsteps lightly following behind me.

"So, what's your favorite flavor ice cream?" Cream actually initiates the conversation as we walk outside her building.

"Triple Chocolate. You know that kind that has part white chocolate, part regular chocolate, and part dark chocolate fudge. Deliciousness to the max!" I tell her playfully.

Cream seems to be actually perking up a little as we make the long walk back across town to Station Square's best ice cream stand, Tikal's Taste of Heaven.

*

"Hey you two! Haven't seen either of ya in a long time!" Tikal chirps lightly from behind her cart along the riverwalk beside the beach.

A tall, red and white striped umbrella shields the cart and Tikal from the unforgivingly intense late afternoon sun.

"I am so glad that I chose to live out the rest of my years in the present with you guys. All this technology is amazing!"

Tikal talks aimlessly with us as she feverishly types away a text message on her cell.

She slides the keyboard back into her phone before looking across at the two of us again.

"Sorry for getting distracted. I'm being a bad salesperson!"

She giggles slightly at us.

I return her smile.

"What can I get you two?"

"Double scoop of triple chocolate please!" I have a sly grin across my face as I order one of my favorite foods.

Tikal slowly lifts up the heavy glass lid and piles two massive scoops into a waffle cone.

"And for you Cream?" Tikal asks after handing me my ice cream and a napkin.

"One scoop of vanilla." Cream says lightly.

"Oh, I'm afraid I ran out of vanilla about an hour ago." Tikal looks at her apologetically. "Is there something else I can get you? Strawberry? Neopolitan? A milkshake? "

Cream suddenly glares up at the sky blue skirt and lime green shirt glad echidna.

A small thud is heard as I see Cream slam her purse to ground.

"No, damn it! There is not something else you can get me! I wanted a damn vanilla ice cream cone! Not strawberry! Not a milkshake! Not sherbert! Vanilla is the most popular flavor of ice cream for crying out loud!"

My mouth isn't hanging open, but I am gawking at Cream.

She

used

a

curse

word.

TWICE!

I couldn't believe it.

Cream threw her arms down by her side and she held her fists clenched as she stormed off further down the sidewalk.

I fling a couple of dollars to pay for my ice cream in Tikal's general direction before sprinting after Cream.

I dodge a couple of rollerbladers and a group of bicyclers during my chase.

I see Cream not far ahead as she sprints off the sidewalk and onto the sand. I'm gaining on her quickly as she nears a small grove of palm trees.

I reached to grab her shoulder, but I can only just brush against it.

"Leave me alone Tails!" She says loudly without turning to face me. "You don't want to mess with me right now."

"Cream! Wait! Please wait!"

I finally get close enough to grasp her wrist. I spin her around softly so she'll face me.

She keeps her head, and her gentle brown eyes looking down.

"I never knew you had it in you, Cream."

I smile at her broadly without laughing.

The broad, healthy palm leaves rustle above us. Our shadows stretch out around us in the evening sun.

"Shut up Tails!" Cream says, still trying to pry herself from my grasp.

I want to let go of her hand, but I know I can't.

"Say it again, Cream." I tell her simply.

"What?" She actually lifts her head to look at me.

"What you said a few minutes ago. I've never heard you use that word before."

Cream narrows her eyes at me before yanking her arms from my hands.

She resumes her sulking position with her arms by her side.

"Things will get better Cream. You're just having some bad luck. Maybe you just need a good luck charm!" I tell her jokingly. "How about a lucky rabbit's foo—."

"Don't you know it's bad luck for rabbits to have one of those!"

She glares at me fiercely.

"Okay then, how about we throw some change in a fountain or paint the number seven on all of your shirts, or we coul—."

I stop speaking as Cream steps forward and grabs the still towering triple chocolate waffle cone from my hand.

She takes a small lick across all three flavors.

Her face winces in disgust.

"This tastes terrible." She says plainly.

She suddenly tosses it over her shoulder.

My beautiful ice cream cone hits the sand with a soft splat.

"Damn it Tails!"

Cream then grabbed both my hands in hers before stealthily leaning in and kissing me on the lips.

Even though I lost my ice cream cone, I have to admit that Cream's angry kisses taste very, very good.

AUTHOR'S NOTE

I hope you guys enjoyed this, and I hope it's not too cliché of an idea (Angry Cream). I haven't written any fan fiction in a while, so I apologize if I'm out of practice.

Again, this is one of those ideas that I came up with the idea of the title first, and kind of crafted the story around it. I usually am one of those writers that takes a C leads to B leads to A type of approach where I think of an event in the story and build backwards from that, but the title Sour Cream was too good to pass up.

Please let me know what you think, and if there's any ideas or scenarios you'd like me to write about, please let me know. Thanks again!


End file.
